Designing for a Low-Cost Low-Energy Building in Sub-Saharan Africa Using a Simulation-Based Approach: The Case of a Residential Building in Ghana

The paucity of building demand-side energy efficiency policies in countries in sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in buildings designed without recourse to energy efficiency. Urbanization and increasing populations point to a further increase in building energy. As a developing economy, Ghana’s residential and industrial demand for electricity has long been relatively low, although increasing. This paper evaluates the energy consumption of a typical residential building in a warm humid climate and identifies low-cost energy-efficient options for improvement. To achieve this, a residential building located in Kumasi was selected. Using monthly electricity bills and user behaviour captured through an unstructured interview, the average energy consumption of the building was analysed. The building was subsequently modelled using the Rhino-grasshopper software. The energy efficiency was then analysed in terms of building design, performance envelope, building operation, and thermal comfort. Various low-cost solutions to reduce building energy consumption were explored. The findings showed that a potential energy consumption reduction in the range of 10–25% is achievable. The originality of the study is anchored in using energy simulation to identify low-cost energy-efficient building options that enhance the performance of the buildings within the sub-region.